German chancellor Angela Merkel won't risk unstable minority govt, ready to lead party into snap elections

Berlin: Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that she was ready to lead her party into snap elections rather than risk leading an unstable minority government, after the collapse of coalition talks plunged Germany into a political crisis.

"I'm very sceptical" about a minority government, Merkel told public broadcaster ARD, adding that "new elections would be the better path".

In a separate interview with public broadcaster ZDF, Merkel emphasised that Germany needed a stable government "that does not need to seek a majority for every decision".

File image German chancellor Angela Merkel. AFP

The veteran leader also confirmed that she was ready to lead her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) into new elections and said she had not considered stepping down after 12 years in office.

Merkel has been forced to fight for her political future after high-stakes talks to form a coalition government failed overnight, potentially forcing Europe's biggest economy to hold new elections.

But a new vote could deliver results that are just as inconclusive as September's, which had prompted Merkel and her conservative CDU-CSU alliance to seek a partnership with the pro-business FDP and the ecologist Greens.